Conveyor system with stabilized conveyor basket

Abstract

A carrier basket is suspended between an opposing pair of drive members which define a path of travel between a processing station and a remote delivery station, the path of travel having vertical flights at each station interconnected by a horizontal flight. To prevent rocking movement of the suspended carrier basket, it is provided at its opposite ends with diametrically opposite cam rollers which are sequentially engaged in cam tracks extending along the path of travel of the carrier basket, a first cam track lying at one end of the carrier basket and extending between the processing station and a point intermediate the horizontal flight of the conveyor, the other of the cam tracks lying at the opposite end of the carrier basket and extending between the intermediate point and the delivery station. Guide rails are provided opposite the cam tracks to maintain the cam rollers in engagement with their respective cam tracks, and additional guide members may be provided to effect smooth translation of the carrier basket between the vertical and horizontal flights. An improved carrier basket is also provided which is displaceable relative to the drive members on which it is mounted in the event an obstruction interferes with downward movement of the carrier basket as it approaches either station.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. In a conveyor system for delivering items from a processing station to a remote delivery station, each station having an access opening therein, an opposing pair of spaced apart drive members,   guide means positioned to define mating paths of travel for said drive members in which said drive members travel both vertically and horizontally between said stations,   reversible drive means operatively connected to said drive members to move them in unison,   a carrier basket suspended from said drive members in a horizontally disposed upright position,   means rotatably mounting said carrier basket relative to said drive members, whereby said carrier basket will rotate relative to said drive members so as to remain in upright position irrespective of whether said members are travelling vertically or horizontally, and   stabilizing means for preventing rocking movement of said carrier basket as it travels between said stations, said stabilizing means comprising a pair of cam tracks positioned to follow the paths of said drive members throughout a portion of their paths of travel, a first of said cam tracks being positioned to follow a first of said drive members between a first of said stations and an intermediate point in the path of travel of said first drive member, said first cam track being spaced rearwardly relative to the path of travel of said first drive member when at said first station, the second of said cam tracks being positioned to follow the second of said drive members between the other of said stations and an intermediate point corresponding to the intermediate point in the path of travel of said first drive member, said second cam track being spaced rearwardly relative to the path of travel of said second drive member when at the other of said stations, and   cam track follower means mounted on said carrier basket engageable with said cam tracks, said cam track follower means comprising a first cam roller mounted on one end of said carrier basket engageable with said first cam track, and a second cam roller mounted on the opposite end of said carrier basket engageable with said second cam track, said cam rollers being offset in opposite directions from a vertical plane passing through the axis of rotation of said carrier basket, said cam rollers being positioned so that the cam roller in engagement with its respective cam track is at the rear of the carrier basket when the carrier basket is at either station, whereby both the cam track and the operative cam roller are remote from the access openings at said stations.   
     
     
       2. The conveyor system claimed in claim 1 including means for maintaining said cam rollers in contact with their respective cam tracks. 
     
     
       3. The conveyor system claimed in claim 2 wherein the means for maintaining said cam rollers in contact with their respective cam tracks comprise a first elongated guide rail positioned to contact the end of the carrier basket remote from said first cam track, and a second elongated guide rail positioned to contact the end of the carrier basket remote from said second cam track. 
     
     
       4. The conveyor system claimed in claim 3 including supplemental guide members positioned to contact said cam rollers during translation of said carrier basket between vertical and horizontal travel. 
     
     
       5. The conveyor system claimed in claim 4 wherein a first supplemental guide member is positioned to be contacted by said first cam roller when said second cam roller is in contact with said second cam track, and wherein a second supplemental guide member is positioned to be contacted by said second cam roller when said first cam roller is in contact with said first cam track. 
     
     
       6. The conveyor system claimed in claim 5 wherein said supplemental guide members comprise elongated fingers positioned to be contacted by said cam rollers. 
     
     
       7. The conveyor system claimed in claim 6 wherein said supplemental guide members are mounted on said guide means. 
     
     
       8. The conveyor system claimed in claim 1 wherein said drive members comprise elastomeric drive tapes, and wherein said guide means comprise elongated C-shaped channels in which said drive tapes are slidably received. 
     
     
       9. The conveyor system claimed in claim 8 wherein said guide means comprise back-to-back elongated C-shaped channels each adapted to receive portions of said drive tapes. 
     
     
       10. The conveyor system claimed in claim 1 wherein said guide means include mating inclined segments at one of said stations positioned to displace said carrier basket laterally outwardly, and wherein the adjoining cam track includes a correspondingly inclined section. 
     
     
       11. The conveyor system claimed in claim 1 wherein the means rotatably mounting said carrier basket relative to said drive members comprise mounting blocks affixed to said drive members and a carrier rod extending between said mounting blocks, wherein the opposite ends of said carrier basket have elongated vertically disposed slots therein, and wherein said carrier rod extends through said vertical slots, whereby said carrier basket is suspended from said carrier rod and is displaceable relative to said carrier rod. 
     
     
       12. In a conveyor system wherein a carrier basket is conveyed between first and second stations by a spaced apart pair of drive members, a carrier basket having opposing end walls, mating elongated vertical slots in said opposing end walls, a said carrier rod extending through said slots, whereby said carrier basket may be suspended between the drive member by securing the opposite ends of said carrier rod to the guide members and said carrier basket may be displaced relative to said carrier rod, and stabilizing means to prevent rocking movement of the carrier basket as it is conveyed by the drive members, said stabilizing means comprising cam tracks positioned to follow the paths of travel of the drive members, and having cam track follower means mounted on said carrier basket engagable with said cam tracks. 
     
     
       13. The combination claimed in claim 12 wherein said cam track follower means comprise cam rollers mounted on the opposing end walls of said carrier basket. 
     
     
       14. The combination claimed in claim 13 including guide rails positioned to maintain said cam rollers in engagement with said cam tracks. 
     
     
       15. The combination claimed in claim 14 wherein the drive members have vertical flights extending upward from each station, and a horizontal flight extending between the upper ends of the vertical flights, and wherein supplementary guide means are positioned to be engaged by said cam rollers during translation between the horizontal and vertical flights.